Arshad continues rehab but participation in World Athletics remains uncertain

Whether Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem will be able to compete in next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo remains uncertain. The star javelin thrower recently underwent surgery on his left calf muscle in Cambridge under the care of renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr Ali Sher Bajwa.

Dr Bajwa has been closely associated with Arshad for several years, also accompanying him to major international competitions including the Paris Olympics where Arshad stunned the world with a mammoth 92.97-meter throw, a new Olympic record, to clinch gold.

“The World Championships in September is still a possibility but that depends on how he progresses with rehab and training in the coming weeks. He is working hard in the gym,” a well-placed source told Nukta.

The source added that Arshad is currently undergoing a successful rehabilitation program in London.

“Over the last couple of days, he has started putting weight on the injured leg,” the source revealed.

If he regains full fitness, Arshad is expected to head directly into the World Championships scheduled to be held in Tokyo from September 13 to 21.

Before flying to London Arshad had also considered competing in the Diamond League’s Poland leg on August 16. However, it does not seem a possibility now.

High expectations

“It is unlikely he will participate in the Diamond League this month,” the source added.

Experts close to Arshad believe he has the temperament to deliver in big competitions even without warm-up events. However, this time the stakes are higher. As a global star, he now requires top fitness and form to truly do justice to his talent.

His performance at the recent Asian Championships, where he won gold in Korea with a throw of 86.40 meters, was not entirely convincing.

His injury is also a fresh one and not a recurrence as initially feared.

Injuries have been a consistent part of Arshad’s career. He has managed to win medals at the Commonwealth Games, Islamic Solidarity Games and World Championships while carrying various fitness issues. He had to skip both the 2023 Asian Championship in Bangkok and the Hangzhou Asian Games the same year due to injury concerns.

Currently Arshad is accompanied in London by his coach Salman Butt.

Arshad’s gold in the Paris Olympics marked Pakistan’s first Olympic gold in 40 years, the last one coming from the national hockey team at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. He also has to his credit gold medals in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and 2022 Islamic Solidarity Games in Turkey.

In the 2023 World Championships he won silver with a throw of 87.82 meters narrowly missing gold which was won by India’s Neeraj Chopra who recorded a 88.17-meter throw.

While Arshad focuses on recovery Pakistan’s No2 javelin thrower Mohammad Yasir Sultan is putting in intense training at Lahore’s Punjab Stadium in a last-ditch effort to qualify for the World Championships. Yasir is set to compete in the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo on August 21-22.

“This is my last chance and I will go full length to qualify for the World Championships,” Yasir told this correspondent during a recent training session.

He will be accompanied on the trip by his coach Fayyaz Bukhari.